Can a $15 Spray Gun Out Perform a $700 Spray Gun 

Because you are a real pro you can use even the cheapest sprayer and still come out with professional results. This is the best tutorial on painting that I have seen.

Thank you for being so willing to test out lower end equipment for the benefit of us who just want to doodle around on the weekend! Keeping it in perspective I would say it performed better than the 46 times cost difference. I can from experience say these are great for spraying lacquer on wood working projects were you can make A LOT more mistakes in your finish than with auto work. Orange peel buffs out to satin very easy on wood. :)

I have used many of the hf paint guns and never had to use anything to turn the knobs they all worked great and i have painted many cars with them and they turned out great and done many touch ups and single panels and blends no problems

If you can afford it, it's better to buy the best tool you can. Even if you only paint one car in your life, sell the tool after, but don't waste your energy and motivation fighting bad tools. If you end up with a crappy paint job, make it YOUR fault, not the spray gun's.

The Harbor Freight $15 spray gun used in this video was $9.99 on sale until recently. I have used these guns consistently the last 15 years with Zero problems. I have a $400 gun that I used once. It stays on the “shelf”. I spray primer, base, and clear with the 1.4 set up. I give the HF $15 spray guns 6 STARS

Glad I found your channel. I've done many backyard repaints on motorcycle sheet metal with my HF gun with surprising results. The small parts are a diffrent animal and I have not done a larger vehicle in over 25 years. I have an OBS truck to repaint this spring and will practice which gun I'm more comfortable with. I feel more confident in my up and coming project since reviewing your content. I'm older and retired but still enjoy learning. So glad I'm out of the flat rate rat race of 40 years. Thank you sir.

Id say its all down to how often you're gonna use it. Its like anything really, if you're going to use it a lot, you wanna splash out and get something thats going to last.

My purple Harbor Freight gun has sprayed many cars and trucks over the past 4 years and it still works great! Well worth the money spent in my opinion. ;-) Run Lacquer thinner through it after each job and then disassemble and soak it after every 3 or 4 jobs. The little filter gets gunked up and has to be cleaned out really well.....along with the area just under it.

After careful homework watching Your videos here I painted my 1st truck hood and I must say I am Very impressed with your guidance! The hood looks fabulous!🎉

bought a few brand new Iwata LPH spray guns at a really good deal a few years back as I remember around $200. Paint jobs always come out really nice. My go to is the Iwata LPH300 for both base and clears. No need to be spending crazy money on your equipment. I still have the 400 which I never used

Brian, love the videos! For us broke-ass weekend warriors, can you talk about air compressors, the minimum requirements needed & possible models to use a purple gun? PEACE!

Another great video. I especially appreciate you showing the spray pattern before spraying the vehicle. It helps to show the air pressure and how you are adjusting the knobs to setup the gun. I like it when you explain any adjustments you make to the knobs during the spray process.

I bought both DV1s. The base one and the clear one. Both Awesome guns. Worth every penny.

That HB purple gun is really popular , I bought one about 10 years ago ..Works good .

Ya I don't use cheap guns anymore. I've settled on Iwatas . I have the Bellaria and it's excellent especially for base/metallics but my favorite for spraying clear at home is the LPH400. It's a very controllable easy to spray gun. Very smooth finishes and minimal overspray at lower pressures👍

Another great video!! Have you ever reviewed an LVLP gun like the RS500 or Eastwood's LT100?

Thanks for these comparisons for folks that have no experience.

I love luma guns.. their sun pro light is also amazing. Of course I use different guns for different parts of the process.. but the luma exodus is a great one gun for all if you want

That gun is a good primer gun for small spots. Thats what I use at home. Also you can roll primer on. What I would love to see is a demo on spectrum black widow hvlp and hte guns. I just bought both. Since my guns are obsolete using new materials available today. My gravity feed guns haven't been used for 25 yrs. I switched to just metal and frame work. But recently started side work in my home shop. I forgot how satisfying paint work is compared to train wreck after train wreck.

I have a couple of guns that were in the $150-200 price range and they are fine. Today paint is much too expensive to take a chance using a $15 gun.

Have you tried the Sprayit 33000? Also sold from Chinese retailers as the R500? I think Eastwood sells it as well. It's a $100 gun if you buy it in the states and a $50 gun if bought from China. Some youtubers like Underground Paint King really seem to like it. It kind of looks like a copy of the Iwata.

Brian ..you should try the harbor freight green cheap gun. Actually sprays nice. I use for sealer.

I’d imagine that harbor freight gun would spray a lot better with a much higher psi gotta open it up and let that paint flow aswell

My GO TO gun for perfect clear coat is a cheap Chinese 1.0mm touch up gun at 40-45 psi. The small tip is the answer except it takes a long time to paint a panel.

I used a 23$ gun and did a good job. The only downside was dust in my garage, but the job went great for a DIY.

Nice job thanks for showing the difference between the spray guns

Bought the Harbor Freight purple spray gun as I won't be spraying but once on the hood of my truck. I appreciate the info.

Long time caller first time caller here. I love your videos, and have learned quite a bit from you. Even if I was raised painting in the shop with my Dad, I enjoy watching other methods or styles (whatever you want to call it) for a change in perspective. I've watched maybe 8 or 9 hours of your content all together, and thought I would share something I just learned. I'm sorry for assuming but until 5 minutes ago I thought you were drunk 90% of the time you made videos. See a couple weeks ago I had turned the playback speed down on youtube for a slow-mo video I was watching. And at 75% speed, you are 3 sheets to the wind. And I don't know how it took me 9 hours of watchtime to realize it. Honestly I'm ashamed of that a little. But holy shit. I just died laughing. And had to share that. I prefer you WAY more when you're sober. And it's just a bit less time consuming... Keep up the incredible work! And sorry for the essay. lol

You can find the tips online I bought a 2.0 tip for a HF gun I wanted to shoot some slick sand was going to throw the gun away after I used it. I didn't want to use that stuff in my Iwata gun. It worked some larger orange peel but I was going to sand it down didn't matter.

I'm sure the compressor makes a difference and what kind of compressor should I get???

Thank Brian for showing us the difference between cheap spray gun and expensive spray gun. We as customers deserve the best quality you guys.

Great tips again Brian, great job.

Great videos as always, I do want to add a comment about your air regulator valve that turns forever in the cheap guns... Simply have to push up on them a little bit to get the thread to start and don't run them all the way out because they will unthread again. But they do work... Although I would leave it wide open most of the time anyways... because the gun is slow 👍

Have both the Astro Euro and the Kiwami. Can't wait to hook them up and see how they suit me.

$ 16 HF for primer, that astro gun for base and Iwata kiwami for clear, personally I like the 3m guns for base, just my .02 edit, It looks like the airgunsa only comes in 1.3 now

I’ve painted over 20 tractors with alkalyd oil based enamel paint through this Harbor freight gun. It’s so cheap I can buy a new gun, water filter, and regulator each project. The cost is so negligible that it’s worth it. Pull the filter out and run acetone through it to get the oils out before painting, and it’s good to go. The only problem I’ve had with one was the trigger was sticking and wouldn’t push down. Put a little oil on the backside of the trigger and worked fine after that. With small projects like tractors with smaller sheet metal parts, the fan size seems about right.

Is it me or the whites don't match from door to fender

Got a question about Respirators. Need to paint door jambs, engine bay 62 Plymouth, What Respirator would be safe for a guy to use when spraying Urethane single stage- or BCCC ? Do I need a full face ?.. I will only be painting small areas on this car...it's not something I plan to do much of. Please get back with me. Thanks

Nozzles sold online

DAYUM your skill is phenominal.... can i bring my plane down to paint 😅😎iv enrolled in Paint society College course of paint 👍👍

Brian, what tips will fit on that harbor freight purple gun ?? change it from a 1.4...

10:28 you can see that the patern start to distort from the harbor freight gun

Great video!!

Buy the best you can afford keep your guns clean. STarted with a banks number7

Thanks for this and all your videos .

So I need a primer gun then base coat gun and then a clear coat gun ? Cheers

Very well explained.

Would love to see a video on spray ceramic coatings

Thank you for the info bless your heart

Iwata Kiwami 4 is all you need 😍

Monthly gun giveaway!!! On your reviewed guns. Would be a great opportunity to get first timers started 🤔

What size tip do you guys use to spray metallic base coats?

I have been watching your videos and have learned a lot, but I was wondering if you have / could do a video on what kind of tips or needles should be used for metal flake paint

Great review 👍🏿

If you call Harbor freight they can sell you different tips

Can you compare that $700 gun with the most expensive gun at harbor freight? Thanks

I’m thinking about painting my motorcycle, should I go with duplicloro I really want a flat paint job.. or should I go with a gun and a compressor? I’m really working on a limited budget.… what is the minimal compressor tank size and horsepower.. also, where I’ll be painting is an open area would this be all right?…… thank you kindly ,happy Saturday. I forgot to ask, do I really need to heat the paint job to get a correct consistency?…… and how long will Duplia color last if I choose to go with that?? hey thanks again

Idk what spray gun to buy. I want a affordable one but in different videos you show different spray guns so now I’m not sure which is best. I only want to paint from time to time

Test the Wallcom slim and ANi f 160 f plus you will be surprised!😉😉😁😁

If you're at Harbor Freight, go with the Green gun. A little more, but wayy better.

If I wanted to do a professional paint job on a motorcycle fuel tank what paint gun and compressor size would you recommend? Thank you

Hell yea I have a lph400 wanna get a kiwami soon

The most important part of any spray gun is the nut holding it. If that nut is good, it doesn't much matter what the gun cost. If the nuts a bit sketchy, the finish will be rubbish - it's down to the nut, not the gun.

What do you think about the old style siphon spray guns? My old friend, who was a paint and body guy, only used siphon guns. He gave me a old Binks model 7 years ago. He has since passed away. 😢

I love my dv1s

This has me thinking of what one can do to upgrade cheap guns. Maybe 3D printing parts.

Spraygun yang sangat luar biasa, andai saja saya punya spraygun seperti itu 😢

Brian I'm a learner painter I have loved you videos, would a iwata w400 be a good gun for me to get for a wide fan and good atomisation please.

Great thank you so much

The 700-dollar shovel is so much better. Ergonomic handle, stainless steel blade the hole almost digs itself. Blisters are non-existent. Sorry I work with what I have or can afford.

Never clicked so quick!

I hate that hf... BUT i do use it for primer lol

I definitely see the value in a higher cost spray gun if you are painting cars professionally in a production shop, However if you are not spraying paint in a high volume shop where speed is needed there really is no need to spend $700.00 on a decent spray gun, Not everyone even has an expensive compressor that can build the volume of air needed to spray at the rate of a production shop, What I would like to see is a cheap gun compared to an expensive gun using a cheap air compressor, would you still get the same professional results? does the expensive gun even make sense in this scenario? All of these guys with a $10,000 air compressor set up with air dryers, oil separators showing us the results they can achieve all forget that the DIY'er doesn't always have that kind of equipment available to them while they are promoting those expensive spray guns!

Excellent video. The problem I see for us DIY painters is that with a more expensive gun you need a higher rated CFM compressor. I myself have a 30 gallon 4.8 CFM compressor and the guns you recommend are surely for around 8 - 10 CFM compressors. What would happen if I do buy a 10 CFM gun and use it with my 4.8 compressor? Would it work fine for small panel jobs or will it not even atomize well for small jobs? Thank you and keep up with these great videos.

My fiancé has been a auto mechanic for 13 years, I really want to “wow” him this year for Christmas and he’s good with paint as well but what is a gun he will be excited about and is some what in budget, under $200. ?

Hey would one be able to add .008 metallic flake in a primer sealer ?

Today my boss picked up the digital DV1 to replace that exact Harbor Freight gun. I demanded he do it. I've been watching videos about the gun and found this one. 😂 Amazing.

A kremlin sprey gun, dont think they exixt anymore was the best spray gun i had ever used. Better than the devilbiss guns.

Question: I've been using a cheap harbor freight type gun. My paint specs suggest 30-35 psi. Do I stick with the paint specs and try to make it work, or can I play with lower pressures? The paint is an acrylic enamel. Thanks

Hello Brian, I followed your Amazon link to the Iwata Kiwami and was going to purchase it. I noticed that it does not have the green authentic certification sticker on the left side of the gun near the trigger that yours has in the video. Do you know if this could possible be a non original copy of the real gun?

Uma pistola mais cara, vai ser sempre melhor opção. Pois não estamos sempre a comprar.

Greetings, I am Rojhat, I have been following you for a long time and I admire your work. I am currently interested in auto paint business in Tennessee. I would like to come to you and improve myself, can you help me with this?

Have you tried the hf spectrum hte I asked my fiance to get me that for Christmas

A wise tradesman said to me many years ago. There are three choices. Price, speed or quality. . . Now pic two.

he installed paint filter upside down

well in the philippines the so called professionals used an even cheaper gun than $15. it's not even HVLP. they just put 3 coats clear let it dry for 4 days and sand down the horrible orange peels. that's how inefficient body shops are in this country. cars are being filed up for days. your level of craftmanship is nowhere to be found on this country. You probably need to do a crusade or something just to educate and hopefully elevate the quality of how car painting is done in this country.

You have an 80 gallon compressor putting out 30 CFM. Why would you pair such a cheap gun with a high-end commercial compressor rig?

Do i need a different gun for spraying primer, or can the Astro work for both? ALso i have no idea whats the difference between HE and HVLP Astros xD

Have you ever tested the spider brand lvlp gun

I've had the $24 green, and $124 grey/blue Harbor freight guns and I will say the $124 gun was pretty decent for the first 2-3 jobs. After that, even though I break down and clean every time, I think it's not spraying so well more and more each time. Gonna move up to the 3M performance line, and eventually get that DV1 for CLEAR

need a before pic

When you get a pattern heavy on the top and bottom it means your air pressure needs to be lower. I would like to see the pattern on the cheap gun with less pressure. It's been my experience that every gun has a pressure that works best.

What tip size needs to be used?

Not a snob, started off broke spraying bumpers in my parents garage, overspray everywhere. My advice if you're starting off. Search eBay, Craigslist etc. Used Iwata 400 or better yet a Pro Lite. Even an old school sata 4000

great video ....

What do you use to filter the air?

If you did not have a spray booth would you be painting outside?

What gun would you recommend for a beginner painter base clear and primer

cleaning and adjustments a must, also casting metal pcs sometimes are inside all guns, even the expensive ones, 🎩🤓🪄💥

Men do you know why it works ? Because it is SATA N95 copy !!!! No 95 is the year of premiere. It is first HVLP gun.